Over a third of international students in the UK would not recommend it as a study destination to family and friends thanks to the scarcity of available employment and work experience opportunities available, a new survey from the NUS and TEN has revealed.

The UK's NUS has called for more financial security for international students hit by hardship following new research released earlier this month that revealed over two-thirds of institutions did not have a separate fund or procedure for students affected by external crises. The report calls for more coordinated institution-wide responses and for a national hardship fund scheme to be piloted.

This year's NUS Internationalisation Awards were hosted at The Warwick Integration Summit, a unique event that examines how universities and students' unions can best work together to promote integration between domestic and international students. There were winners in eight categories, including a new Careers Advising award.

The National Union of Students in the UK is running a campaign to put pressure on leaders of UK educational institutions to abolish in-course tuition fee increases for international students. At least half of all UK universities do not currently provide students with a fixed fee guarantee.

The UK Border Agency is failing to get to grips with student visa processing delays as it struggles with a backlog of cases that could take 24 years to tackle. In a report released Monday, the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee claimed that only 14% of Tier 4 visa applications were processed by UKBA within the promised target time in Q3, down from 28%.

Critics have attacked proposals made by the Deputy Prime Minister that some temporary migrants should pay deposits to ensure they do not overstay their visas. They warn the measure – which is part of a new crackdown on illegal immigration, mainly from within the European Economic Area – would further antagonise non-EU students and give the impression Britain is “closed”.

Syrian students at UK universities say they are facing an “impossible situation” as funding for their studies dries up and some institutions are unable to cover the shortfall. Many fear that they will be unable to complete their studies and even sent home, where they could face torture or assassination.